


we're a work in progress

by zayheathers



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Azula deserves a redemption 2k20, F/F, Gen, Modern AU, also 't' because azula swears, post-redemption azula, two am impulse post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22832821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zayheathers/pseuds/zayheathers
Summary: Azula's back. But she's also different.
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), minor Mai/Zuko - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 245





	we're a work in progress

Azula comes home on a Friday. She uses 'home' losely, however, as she’s never really lived with her brother. Not since… well not since they were kids. They’re older now, and Zuko and Mai are expecting their first kid. Quite soon, she deduces from the rather large bulge protruding from Mai’s belly she can see as Zuko opens the door. It makes her look like a penguin cross-bred with a whale, but something tells her she should probably keep that to herself.

  
  
  


She's changed. She knows. As she said, she’s older now. Gotten the help she needs. “Azula,” Zuko says, with confusion but not surprise. He knew she’d gotten transferred to a better place many years ago, but that was the end of it.

  
  
  


“Zuko,” she says, but it lacks the venom she knows they are both used to. All she sounds is neutral, only the slightest bit tired, and as she walks forward, he can see the slight limp in her left leg. “Well? Aren’t you going to invite me in?” 

  
  
  


Her brother opens his mouth to answer but Azula moves aside to reveal a hyper, bouncing ball of pink. Ty Lee. “Zuko! Mai! How are you? I haven’t seen you guys in ages!”

  
  
  


“You saw us three months ago,” Mai points out, hand on her baby bump.

  
  
  


“ _Yeah_ , but still!” And she waltzes in, Azula following closely behind with a carefully measured expression but shoulders squared so tense he briefly wonders if her they're injured too, then he shakes his head. That’s just the way Azula deals with things, something he’s learnt from experience.

  
  
  


Once Zuko’s served tea, there’s nothing much else they can do, and they sit in awkward silence for a while before he finally clears his throat. “So, uh, Azula. How are you?”

  
  
  


To his surprise, Azula glances over at Ty Lee, and the pink girl smiles. It’s curious to him. His sister didn’t seem to have needed permission—no matter how much she’s changed, that will never be Azula—but for reassurance instead. “I, hm.” She clears her throat, obviously uncomfortable, but also determined to say whatever it is she needs to say. Zuko just hopes it’s good.

  
  
  


“Well, I’ve started to see a therapist.” Her voice is raspier that he remembers. She laughs, and it’s a hollow, distant thing. Different than her manipulative, apathetic ones, but unnerving all the same. “Multiple therapists, actually. Turns out, that psych ward _really_ fucked me up.”

  
  
  


“Azula.” Zuko says, part warning and part sympathy.

  
  
  


“Don’t, brother, you know it’s true. That’s the only reason they sent me there anyway. To fuck me up. Not that I wasn’t fucked up already, everyone knew it,” and Zuko winces. From the corner of his eye, he sees Ty Lee grip Azula’s hand, and realises her sister isn’t as unaffected as she’s trying to make herself seem.

  
  
  


He takes a deep breath, tries to sound as non-nosy as he can. “So, how come you’re here?”

  
  
  


“My therapist thought it would be a good idea for me to… rebuild our bond or, whatever. Especially with you, seeing as we’ve ‘suffered through the same things, shared the same experiences’ y’know. Some bullshit like that.”

  
  
  


“Okay.” Zuko says, sipping his tea. “What did you want to talk about?”

  
  
  


“She gave me a list,” and she opens the sling-bag Zuko hadn’t noticed she was carrying. When she pulls it out, Zuko can see her hands shaking minutely, and he comes to understand just a little bit more how much she’s changed. “One, my journey through rehabilitation. What a _horrible_ way to phrase that," she mutters under her breath, then continues. "Two, our childhoods. Three, current and past relationships. Four... parents. And five, future. Take you’re pick, _big brother_.”

  
  
  


Before Zuko can answer, Ty Lee interrupts him (again), “Mai and I are going to go brew some tea, alright,” and Mai looks a little affronted, but otherwise accepting. To Azula, she whispers, “I’ll just be in the kitchen, okay?” and Azula smiles slowly. On another person, he could barely perceive it as a smile, but on his sister, it’s the most genuine thing he’s ever seen.

  
  
  


Once Ty Lee and Mai leave, Zuko says, “We’ll start with that. When did that happen?”

  
  
  


“I’ve always had feelings for Ty Lee, but judging from your lack of shock I suppose you’re not surprised.”

  
  
  


“No exactly, no.” 

  
  
  


“She tracked me down a year or so ago, content on finding me. I believe she felt guilty. But since, she has been crucial to my recovery.”

  
  
  


“How so?” He says, suddenly, strangely desperate to keep her talking. This is the most he’s heard her speak… _normal_ (as in not psycho) in years. Actually, in ever.

  
  
  


“Well, apparently I’m not quite adept at anything relating to expression of emotion.” Zuko is sorely tempted to say, _no shit_. Thinks better of it, of course. “But I’m capable of them, something Ty Lee proved to me. At first, she came to ‘check up’ on me, but my therapist requested I bring her to one of our meetings, and I complied. There was… much to talk about, and Ty Lee ended up being an opening to the rest of my emotions. Like the sun to a flower.”

  
  
  


Zuko doesn’t smile, knowing it will probably irk his sister, but he’s damn close to. Seeing Azula find peace in herself, with some _one_ else, brings peace to his _own_ soul. “That’s, uh, great.”

  
  
  


“It is,” Azula says, then clears her throat. “So, um, how are you and Mai? How long has she been pregnant?”

  
  
  


“Six months, almost seven.”

  
  
  


“Do you know the gender?”

  
  
  


“Not yet. We wanted to keep it a secret. A surpise, almost.”

  
  
  


“I see.”

  
  
  


“So… yeah. Uhm,” Zuko clears his throat—there seems to be an awful lot of that happening. Seeing this particular line of conversation has pretty much died out, he switches to the next one. “About your therapy?”

  
  
  


“Oh, so you want to talk about number one,” Azula drawls, and Zuko feels bad about it but her lazy alto still makes his skin crawl.

  
  
  


“Yes,” he says, clenching his fists though he doesn’t know why.

  
  
  


“Well, surprisingly, Uncle got me out of that shithole. I didn’t know it at first, because I was in the asylum one day, but before I knew it I was moved to this strange house. Ty Lee stopped by the next day. I was angry at her, at first but I… I realised it wasn’t _truly_ angry, I was just hurt.”

  
  
  


Azula shifts, and Zuko realises that with her the mood does too. She’s smirking now, deflecting with confidence and humourous apathy. “The whole thing was quite a spectacle, Zuzu, I’m sure you would have shed a tear or two. You’ve always been so emotional.”

  
  
  


And this time, he really can’t resist engaging her. “As opposed to _you_?”

  
  
  


His sister doesn’t laugh so much as cackle, and Zuko can see the shadow of who she used to be on her face. 

* * *

Azula apologises, in her own, strange, emotionally stilted way. Zuko apologises too, properly so it makes him feel closure. 

  
  
  


Also, he tells Aang and Katara and Sokka and Suki and Toph. (Technically, he tells Aang, but Katara and Sokka and Suki and Toph just happened to be there). Aang invites them over to dinner

  
  
  


It’s a strange affair. When he walks in the door, he’s greeted by joyful shouts and large hugs. Ty Lee is welcomed much the same way. Apparently, she and Suki and friends from work. When Azula walks through the door, however, a silence falls over the friendly warmth of the house. She stands there, face stony and unimpressed, but from their little talk this afternoon, Zuko knows she’s uncomfortable, to say the least.

  
  
  


“Hey there, Azula,” Aang, thank the _spirits_ for him, asks. “Uh, how are you?”

  
  
  


Azula clears her throat, and Zuko thinks he’s lost count of how many times she’s done that. “Well, good, considering. But at least I’m not psychotic anymore.” And Zuko stills, not sure if it’s a joke, and not able to tell from Azula’s face. Not even Ty Lee knows, judging from the sidelong glance she shoots him. 

  
  
  


Almost a minute passes of exchanged looks, before Sokka finally breaks and laughs hysterically. Immediately after, the awkwardness is broken, and Zuko breathes a sigh of relief.

  
  
  


The rest of the night passes without incident, not until after dinner. 

  
  
  


Suki, Sokka, and Ty Lee and conversing in the other room, while he and Aang are teasing each other by the balcony in a way that’s only comfortable for two people who have been through a great deal together. How times have changed.

  
  
  


Zuko isn’t entirely sure what caused it, but suddenly Azula’s falling to the floor, panting hard. He can make out the words _‘mom’_ and _‘father’_ and _‘help’_ and _‘don’t’_ as her fingers claw at her sides, a hand pulling her hair as she crouches down with a blood-curdling, hysterical, guttural scream. Faintly, Zuko can hear baby Bumi crying before his mother takes him away.

  
  
  


He wants to do something. But he’s frozen, unable to make his body do anything but watch. But quickly, Ty Lee is there by her side, doing something with her hands that calms Azula’s screaming down to whimpers. She gently takes one of the hands in her hair to rest on her own chest, just on her heart.

  
  
  


“Azula,” she says, and she Zuko marvels at how so incredibly _soft_ she sounds. Azula doesn’t respond, so Ty Lee tries again. “Azula, take a deep breath.” And this time, she does, gasping for it as if she’s drowning

  
  
  
  


“Five things you can see.” Amber eyes open as Azula continues to take deep, shuddering breaths. “ _Azula_.”

  
  
  


As Azula opens her mouth, he sees Katara return after taking baby Bumi into the room, the child having fallen asleep after crying in shock. Her blue eyes are wide and worried, but her feet, much like his own, seem to be stuck to the floor. 

  
  
  


“Y-you, floor-chair-walls-necklace.” His sister spits out the words quickly, but Ty Lee nods along encouragingly, as if she’s used to doing this. The thought concerns him.

  
  
  


“Okay, that’s good,” she says calmly, like she’s referring to the weather, and Azula’s breathing slows even more. “Now four things you can feel, darling.”

  
  
  


Now, she lists the things slowly, more completely, shaking her head back and forth as if trying to clear it. “Your… heart-heartbeat, th-the wind, your hand, my… my hair.”

  
  
  


“Good, now three things you can hear.”

  
  
  


“Uh, t-talking, the television, _m-my_ heartbeat.”

  
  
  


“And two things you can smell?”

  
  
  


“Your… perfume, Katara’s cooking.”

  
  
  


“It does smell quite nice doesn’t it,” Ty Lee quietly giggles, coaxing a small smile out of Azula, whose eyes have closed once again but breathing returned to normal. “And one more thing you can taste?”

  
  
  


“Iron,” she says, and Zuko’s own heartbeat stops before she continues, “from my teeth.”

  
  
  


“Okay,” Ty Lee says, and then helps her stand up. “Would you like some fresh air?”

  
  
  


“I… yes, please.” And Ty Lee brings her out to the balcony. Expecting her to have stayed with Azula, Zuko is mildly surprised she comes back inside so soon. Then again, he supposes it makes sense. The ever-private Azula has her limits even when it comes to Ty Lee, it seems. 

  
  
  


‘ _What happened?’_ he almost asks, before realising it’s kind of a stupid question. Everyone saw. “How long has that been going on?”

  
  
  


Ty Lee shrugs. “A while, even before the asylum. Though, she usually internalised them, and they weren’t as bad, but panic attacks have… have always been a part of her life…” Ty Lee laughs, but it’s sad and heavy. “The first time I was there she… she thought I was Ursa.

  
  
  


She… I’m not sure how much she told you, but… she has mild panic schizophrenia. Hallucinations, mostly. It was _really_ bad in the institution, I’m told, but she’s getting better, but sometimes…” Ty Lee sighs, a hand rubbing her face, and she all of a sudden looks so much older. “Sometimes she forgets what’s real and what isn’t. It gets hard.”

  
  
  


To Zuko’s surprise, Katara is the one who goes to Azula outside, once Ty Lee allows it. It worries him, just a little. He knows how hard-headed and hot-tempered both can be, so of course he’s worried.

  
  
  


It’s all for nothing, though, because Katara comes back inside with dried tears on her face, but a peaceful smile. And Azula a moment later with suspiciously wet eyelashes. Zuko doesn’t ask.

  
  
  


He’s about to, but Katara beats him to it. “She needs healing, Zuko,” she says, a hand on his arm, “and I’ll never turn my back on the people who need me.”

* * *

“Goodbye.” Is all Azula says once they’re back at Zuko and Mai’s, but tonight has shown him that she means more. She’s _saying_ more than just goodbye.

  
  
  


“Thank you so much for having us,” Ty Lee says, genuine but emotional all at once. Zuko thinks about how different Ty Lee is too, though not obvious superficially. They’ve gone through a lot. “We’d love to come back sometime…?”

  
  
  


“Of course,” Mai says with a nod. Evidently, she’s also had a revelation after her conversation with Ty Lee, and she’s less wary of the both of them now. Less stiff, less distanced.

  
  
  


“I… I appreciate you taking the time to forgive me,” Azula says instead of _thank you_ , but for her, it’s pretty much the same thing. “I… appreciate you.”

  
  
  


Finally, Zuko laughs. “I love you too, sis.”

The "Fuck off," she sends him is laced with humour, and Zuko watches with a smile as they leave. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading :) as always, comments + kudos are loved and appreciated but never mandatory <3


End file.
